ON THE ROAD
Design Director Melinda Jeffries visited furniture manufacturer, Teknion, in Ontario to engage in valuable conversations and an industrial design challenge.
Interior Designer Melinda Jeffries visited the Lévis, Quebec Teknion office, where she was able to learn from the Research and Development team's hands-on approach to solving design challenges.
A globally recognized furniture manufacturer renowned for its effective and stylish corporate space solutions, Teknion takes a collaborative and responsive approach. The St-Vallier site, originally home to Roy and Breton, was established in 1956 and acquired by Teknion in 1999. Today, with locations worldwide, Teknion employs 1,200 people.
The trip was filled with valuable discussions about the workplace, products, and interactive activities. The trip attendees included a mixed group of general contractors, designers, project managers and sales reps from across the Central Virginia region.
Among the many sessions held during the trip, three agenda activities stood out, best showcasing Teknion's commitment to innovation and problem-solving.
Through the lens of product development, strategic opportunities and fabrication capabilities, smbw got a glimpse into Teknion's collaborative process.
Activity 1: Product Focus Group
Teknion showcased their product lines and approach to production, sharing several on the boards designs. The new introductions were split 50/50, half focused on casegoods and the remainder in comfortable seating settings. The group was asked to rank the new products by functionality and visual appeal.
Activity 2: RFP Case Study
The next presentation focused on case studies, showing how Teknion responded to several RFPs with creative solutions to client requests. It was clear that even if they didn't have the exact product for a client, they could provide an innovative and unique approach to answering the brief and achieving the client or designer's goals.
Activity 3: Design Challenge
For the 'Challenge What's Possible' charrette, Teknion divided the group into two teams, Blue and Red and assigned each team an industrial engineer and product designer. The teams were given 60 minutes to construct a workplace 'problem' and then design a workplace accessory to solve said problem.
The design challenge presented a few constraints, the accessory had to be made out of metal and work alongside Teknion's Expansion Cityline product. The line includes extensive accessories and screens enabling people to enhance their workspace with personality and useful tools.
"Inspired by the definitive patterns of the urban landscape, Expansion Cityline is based on the concept of planning for a workplace as diverse and dynamic as a modern city." - Teknion
Our team, Blue, discussed two potential challenges to tackle: focus interruptions and the visual clutter that comes with a shared open workspace.
The focus solution featured a green panel with a concealed, contrasting rust-colored component nested inside. When the individual was available for conversation, the nested panel remained hidden. However, when they needed to signal for focused time, they could lift the rust-colored component to create a visual barrier, raising it to the desired height using a subtle fold in the metal.
The clutter solution was a standardized picture frame that could hang on the privacy panel. This option would allow for the employee to express their individuality through personal photos, but standardize the aesthetic with a consistent frame given to all the office environment users.
The Red team came up with a design for a planter that functions as a privacy screen, offers storage space, and provides a spot for a little bit of fun.
Less than 24 hours later, the two teams convened for the highly anticipated big reveal. In an impressive display of efficiency and craftsmanship, Teknion had worked through the night to fully fabricate the accessory solutions out of powder coated sheet metal. The transformation from concept to tangible product was completed with remarkable speed.
Trend Takeaway
Open office spaces continue to struggle with acoustic and visual privacy as they compete with the work from home set-up. These challenges can be addressed through thoughtful design that fosters a supportive and respectful office culture. Teknion acknowledges these needs and is actively developing innovative product solutions to enhance privacy and efficiency.
